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First-time fathers learning about more than baseball

LANCASTER, PA. — Travis Anderson has a lot less small stuff to worry about these days.

Like many baseball players, he spent years overanalyzing every detail from every game over the course of a marathon season.

But he says now there only is one small thing on his mind 24 hours per day.

“After having a daughter, the little stuff doesn’t bother me as much,” said the proud father of a 4 1/2-month-old girl. “After the game, I’m really excited when I walk through the door to see my little girl in my wife’s arms.”

Anderson’s perspective on fatherhood is a common thread across the clubhouse of the Somerset Patriots, who Saturday night defeated the Lancaster Barnstormers 3-2 at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

“Caring for another person is the biggest responsibility of my life,” said starting pitcher Brian Adams, who has a 5 1/2-month old daughter. “It’s taken some pressure off baseball because if she and my wife are OK, then I’m OK. It allows me to have fun playing baseball.”

Relief pitcher Jerry Dunn wasn’t having fun June 27 after surrendering the game-winning hit in the ninth inning of a loss to Southern Maryland.

“It bugged me all the way out until I got to see my daughter,” said Dunn, whose wife and 3-month-old child live in North Carolina but schedule visits during the season. “The little things just don’t bug you as much. You move onto the next day a lot faster.”

At least five members of the 2010 Patriots have become first-time fathers since the start of the calendar year. Pitcher Mike Thompson, who retired in July, and outfielder Tim Raines Jr., who was traded to Newark earlier this month, also were part of the Baby Boom.

“Everybody on this team loves seeing my daughter,” Adams said. “We’re such a close team. It’s a neat thing to be on a team where people care about more than just baseball — they care about you off the field.”

While Anderson and Adams have shared a dugout since 2007, their wives have shared the stands and became close friends. The simultaneous pregnancies gave the families another reason to stay in touch during the offseason.

“It’s really opened up my life,” Adams said of becoming a father. “It was really cool for us to be able to go through that stuff together.”

Even more than switching organizations or enjoying a breakout season, fatherhood can be a career-defining experience.

“This is how I provide for my family,” said Anderson, a Flemington resident who retired after last season to become the Patriots’ hitting coach. “Before, I was just a kid playing baseball.”

Anderson is the rare minor-leaguer fortunate enough to be near his child year-round.

“Mine is such a unique situation,” he said. “After a road trip, I get to see my daughter. And my wife sends me pictures every day, so not a day goes by without me seeing what my daughter looks like.”

Dunn, who left the Patriots in early June to be with his wife for the birth, hadn’t seen his daughter in more than two weeks before the meeting in Maryland. He is about to go even longer.

“I don’t like being away from my family,” he said. “I think about them constantly. Is she growing? Did she learn anything new? Thank God for cell phones.”

Last time out

The Patriots defeated the Barnstormers 9-2 on Friday and the two teams moved into a three-way tie with the York Revolution for first place in the Freedom Division. Starting pitcher Josh Miller picked up his team-best 10th win while benefiting from home runs by Elliott Ayala and Joe Burke.

About Ryan Dunleavy

Ryan Dunleavy has covered Rutgers athletics for more than a decade, dating back to his days as a student at his alma mater. He became New Jersey Press Media’s Rutgers women’s basketball beat writer in 2009 and Rutgers football beat writer in 2013. Since joining the staff in 2004, the Morris County native also has covered the NFL, MLB, NBA, the Somerset Patriots and high school sports.

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